A piece of land linked to Kenya Railways has finally been returned to the state after it was irregularly taken by a private developer over a decade ago.
The land, located near the junction of Pwani Road and David Kayanda Road in Mombasa, was valued at about Ksh50 million.
It is slightly less than 0.1 hectares in area and had already been occupied by structures constructed by the now-defunct East African Railways and Harbours Corporation back in the 1950s, which consisted of a four-bedroom house and a garage.
The property, in 2011, was sold quietly into the hands of a property company, and it raised questions about how a tract of land with such a definitive public history wound up in the private sector.
The Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) took the case to court in 2020 after a three-year inquiry.
That case has now ended in a deal, with the developer agreeing to hand the land back. The Environment and Land Court in Mombasa also issued an order to stop the company from trying to sell or interfere with the land again.
The developer must also cancel the lease, and the land registry will correct the records to show Kenya Railways as the rightful owner.
This is not the first time the EACC has gone after land meant for public use. Just last week, they reclaimed another plot in Mombasa that belonged to the Kenya Airports Authority, which had allegedly been taken by a former top official.
And in June, the anti-corruption body recovered 12 public parcels worth Ksh320 million in Bungoma and Kakamega counties.
For Kenya Railways, getting the land back is a small but important step toward safeguarding property meant for national development not private gain.
